Fein’s Willowick Park Creates Urban Living Overlooking a Central Green

The Willowick Park Master Plan for Martin Fein Interests (MFI) merges three types of high-end multifamily products on a single high-density urban site. Tying together the individual projects are tree lined streets, elevated courtyards, well-appointed motor courts, and a formal central green defined by trees and human scaled building facades. The scales of the master plan include three story townhomes averaging 2,350 sf, luxury mid-rise apartments averaging 870 sf, ultra-luxury, mid-rise units averaging 1,470 sf, and land for a potential future phase.

Placement of the individual projects in the master plan respond to the surrounding neighborhood character, densities, and view opportunities across central Houston. The town-homes are adjacent to existing single family homes, the mid-rise projects and central green span the core of the site, with densities increasing further away from the single-family residences.

The first three projects will be constructed nearly concurrently, bringing over 550 units to market in the same calendar year. This distribution of multifamily product types; representing a variety of sizes, lease rates, construction types, and densities; allows MFI to bring these units to market without having the typical problems of over saturation, self-competition, and operational complexity that typically trouble individual multifamily projects of over 250 units.

“The organizational idea behind Willowick Park is the creation of an urban green space that becomes a delightful pocket park for its residents to enjoy,” says Scott Ziegler, AIA, Principal-in-Charge of the Living Place Studio.

The construction types of the project; low-rise wood framing on grade, mid-rise wood framing on a garage podium, and a concrete framed mid-rise; tie directly to the product types, complementing the level of amenity, needed construction cost, and lease rates of each product. The integration of urban green space and a central green with the individual projects allows each type of residence to have a much higher level of amenity than would possible if each project was stand alone. The ultra-luxury, mid-rise units will break ground in March 2013.

Ziegler Cooper Architects celebrates 35 years of design excellence this year. The firm has four studios —Work Place, Living Place, Learning Place and Worship Place. For further information visit our website at www.zieglercooper.com

For more information contact:
Sarah De Ita, CPSM
Marketing Director
713/374-0075
sdeita@zieglercooper.com